It was around this time last year that forward Anthony Davis began to solidify what had been a remarkable ascent in the eyes of NBA talent scouts. He was a freshman at Kentucky, had yet to officially take the floor for an NCAA game, but already he was showing the ability to dominate in practice, with tremendous athleticism and instincts.

Buzz spread around the NBA. As one league scout said, "He kind of became legendary really fast. Everybody knew he had great talent, but nobody knew he was going to be a great player. Until you started hearing about what a monster he was at practice."

After the NBA settled its lockout and started the last regular season on Christmas, Davis had already solidified himself as a sure-shot No. 1 pick. By that time, bottom-feeding teams already had visions of Davis dancing in their heads, putting on their ball caps on draft night and making his NBA debut in their uniforms just months after that. In the end, it was the New Orleans Hornets who were that bottom feeder, and on Wednesday night against Tim Duncan and the San Antonio Spurs, Davis played his first game.

And it was clear early on what all the fuss was about. Just 18 seconds into the first quarter, Davis grabbed his first career rebound and, 1:32 later, he made a mid-range baseline jumper. By the end of the first quarter, Davis had nine points and four rebounds.

Though the Hornets — playing without starting shooting guard Eric Gordon, whose "indefinite" absence because of a knee injury has gotten increasingly worrisome for the team—fell to the Spurs 99-95 and though Davis slowed considerably in the second half, he comported himself well enough for his debut. The rookie big man finished with 21 points and seven rebounds in 29 minutes.

In the opener, Davis showed that the scouting reports on him have been accurate. Even at 19, he is a capable interior defender, and not just as a wild-armed shot-blocker like many young big men. No, Davis can block shots and still play solid fundamental defense in the post, with the athleticism to cover pick-and-rolls. He needs improvement, no doubt—he was caught out of position on multiple occasions against the much more experienced Spurs—but that will come only with time.

Offensively, Hornets coach Monty Williams has not been shy about forcing Davis to get involved, even if he is too raw at this stage to be a No. 1 option. Still, Williams seems intent on building Davis' confidence.

In the preseason, the Hornets got 13.1 shots per game for Davis, and he made 32 trips to the free-throw line in seven games. He struggled on foul shots, making just 56.3 percent. On Wednesday against the Spurs, he was 6-for-12 from the field, and 9-for-9 on free throws.

Davis will only improve. "I am impressed with him and the way he was willing to work and learn," said another former No. 1 pick and Davis' teammate with USA Basketball this summer, Miami Heat forward LeBron James. "He is kind of quiet but he will ask questions, he wants to learn and that really stuck out. If someone shows him something, he picks it up fast, and that is what you want to see from a young guy like him. Give him a little time and I think you'll see how good he can be."

NBA scouts have been peeking at how good he can be for more than a year now. On Wednesday, Davis gave everyone else a look, too.